Countdown
by Michael J.J
Summary: Now that Vlad's gone, Danny's hoping things will be peaceful for awhile. Unfortunately, he now finds himself as the soldier in a war against a far more powerful enemy. Sequel to Adjustment.
1. Prolouge

A/N: Well, here it is, the sequel to Adjustment. Sorry if chapter one is so short, but I promise the rest will be longer.

Disclaimer: Fairly Oddparents copyright Nickelodeon, Federator, and Viacom, created by Butch Hartman.

* * *

Not many beings ever had the chance to see Clockwork's lair. The eternal ghost never had many guests beyond the Observants and Death himself, at least, before Danny Phantom came into existence.

Those happened to be his guests at the moment. Death stood next to his old friend, occasionally tapping the bottom of his scythe against the floor, while the two Observant speakers floated in front of him.

"Surely you must be aware of what's happening," the first Observant said.

"You know, for a council of ghosts that supposedly see all, you're all remarkably slow at realizing what's going on," the lord of time commented as he shifted from his state as a young adult to one as an old man.

"You can't fault us," the second one defended. "You should know better than anyone that he can exist outside of time. That makes him difficult to track by our methods."

"Excuses, excuses," Clockwork muttered, becoming a child. "I realized he had escaped a week ago."

While the master of time had said this as casually as most people would mention getting a new haircut, but it brought about a predictable reaction from the pair of ancient ghosts. "And you did nothing? Surely you know how dire this situation is! He's even more dangerous than the Ghost King himself!"

"You're only telling me what I already know," Clockwork dismissed. "And I've told you nothing because, as I've apparently correctly predicted, you're going to do nothing. You've come here, as always, to get me to do the work you don't wish to soil your hands doing."

"And what exactly have you done?" the second Observant asked. "We've been noticing a severe lack of activity from you. If you had been dealing with this threat, we would have noticed something."

"You should know by now the way I do things," Clockwork reminded the pair, shifting into a young man as he gestured toward one of his time windows. On it was Danny Phantom, savior of the planet Earth, doing battle with Vortex.

"The boy?" the first Observant asked incredulously. "You must be joking."

"Have you ever heard me make a joke?" the master of time countered.

"The boy is powerful, but you know very well he's no match for him," the second one countered.

"Not yet," Clockwork admitted, shifting into an old man. "But I've kept an eye on him. His power and skill have been increasing steadily."

"But we don't have time to wait for him," the first Observant interrupted, "do you really think he'll just wait for the boy to become powerful enough to defeat him?"

"He has to," Clockwork reminded. "He's free, yes, but as long as my influence is in place, he's limited."

"Even so, do you believe the child will become powerful enough to face him?"

"He defeated Pariah Dark," the time ghost noted, becoming a child. "And Plasmius with the power of the Crown of Fire. And need I remind you of Vortex, Undergrowth and Nocturne? Three ghosts legendary for their power, and yet he defeated them all."

"And need we remind you that those ghosts pale compared to the one you must face," the second ghost reminded. "I know you have faith in the boy, but we must insist on another alternative."

At this point Death, previously silent, decided to speak. "I wouldn't advise that. Clockwork isn't the only one who has faith in the boy's…"

"You opinions don't matter to us, Death," the first cut him off. "You have no say in the Council's affairs."

"Maybe not, but need I remind you I take my orders from a higher power than you. Maybe you'd like to take things up with Him."

The Observants floated silently as they took in the reaper's words. As arrogant as they were of their ways, they knew better than to go against the power Death worked for.

"Very well, I suppose we will leave this in the hands of the boy," the second ghost resigned. Then he turned his eye toward the master of time. "But what exactly do you plan to do until he is powerful enough to face this threat?"

Clockwork looked back at the screen, where Danny was sucking the master of weather into the Fenton Thermos. "As long as my influence is in place, this threat you're so worried about won't be able to use the full extent of his powers. He'll try to build up an army to do things for him."

He watched Danny fly down to the rest of Team Phantom, all celebrating the capture.

"I simply need to build one of my own."

* * *

Just outside Amity Park, the alarms blazed at a maximum security prison, the same one that had once held Freakshow. Searchlights peered through the twilight, desperately trying to find the five figures that had escaped.

Just outside the stone walls were the very fugitives. The three former heroes of Amity Park, Masters's Blasters, ran alongside another disgraced figure, the former Operative K of the now disbarred Guys in White. His partner Operative O was escaping with much less dignity. Since Thrash had landed on him, the former agent had lost the ability to walk, and the prison doctors said it was likely permanent. Thus, he had to rely on the largest Blaster to carry him from his former cell. All were wearing orange prison uniforms in place of their usual clothes.

It had happened so quickly. They had been sitting in their cells when, out of nowhere, the electronic locks had opened, leaving them free to escape. The guards seemed to just doze off, letting them pretty much walk out. Still, it seemed whatever had paralyzed the guards had worn off because they were now on full alert.

"This is insane," K complained, looking back at the prison. "After all the good we did, we're being hunted like dogs! This is our thanks for serving our country?"

"Apparently someone still loves us," Vid pointed out, "if they went through all this trouble to bust us out."

Download struggled to keep his breath through the next sentence. "Yeah well, if they like us so much, why didn't they give us a quicker way out of here?"

By this time the group of fugitives had reached a highway about half a mile from the prison, and Download's question was answered. A white van drove down the road, stopping right in front of the ghost hunters. The doors opened with a quick command. "Get in."

The group needed no second bidding. They leapt inside, the doors closing and the vehicle speeding off.

There were three men inside. Two are of no consequence at the moment, but the third was familiar. He was an old man, in his fifties but still in good health. His aged face was covered with thick rimmed glasses. He wore a proper business suit, white with a black tie, with black slacks and dress shoes.

"Who are you?" Thrash demanded.

"You really need to learn some patience," the man noted, gesturing to a wheelchair. "You can put Operative O in that."

The largest Blaster did as was suggested. Once he had gotten his bearings straight, the former government agent got his first good look at their new ally. "Hey, I know you! You're that preacher that started the Order for Ghostly Suppression, aren't you?"

The man smiled. "Yes I am. Tom Jackson, at your service."

"But why'd your group bust us out?" Download demanded.

Thompson put on a serious expression. "Times are bleak, gentlemen. Our government is simply allowing ghosts to cross over into our world. These filthy creatures are embedding themselves into our society. We all know they're simply biding their time until they destroy us all."

"We're aware of the situation," K explained, "but what does it have to do with us?"

"Simply put, legal means aren't working. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We need to take matters into our own hands, and for that we're going to need some…muscle, so to speak. That's why we had members work their way into the prison. That's why we had them slip some sleeping pills into the guard's coffee and had them unlock your cells. We need you, your country needs you. Will you help us?"

The five ghost hunters glanced at each other. Then, they gave malicious smirks as they turned to their liberator. "Just tell us what to do," were the only words Vid said.

* * *

"Interesting, very interesting," the dark figure noted. The figure floated in front of a time window similar to the one Clockwork used.

Behind him, a larger figure stood. "Should we alter our plans, Master? They are planning to wipe out all ghosts, they could be a nuisance to us."

"You underestimate me. While they are trying to eliminate our kind, they can only be helpful to us. The boy will be distracted having to deal with them, leaving us time to build up our army. Speaking of which, I assumed you talked to the Sanchez girl?"

"The one that's smitten with Phantom? Yes, I did as you asked, though I don't understand why you would want to use her."

"You really have to learn to think of other means of defeating opponents than brute force. Someone close to the boy would provide more opportunities to destroy him from the inside out. Right now, though, we need to concentrate on the rest of our army. Tell Plasmius to prepare for tomorrow's mission. Once that's complete, we'll be ready to crush Phantom, then Clockwork. Then, finally, I'll be able to do what should have been done eons ago."


	2. Return

A/N: Alright then, chapter 2.

…

What? Are you expecting some self-depreciation on the long hiatus, or some explanation? Well, bottom line: life got in the way, okay? That's pretty much it.

I don't know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war. - Georges Clemenceau

* * *

Amity Park was enjoying something that had become a bit of a luxury in the preceding three years: peace.

There were no ghosts attacking, no battles raging in the sky. There were ghosts present, though that was to be expected, they were now fairly common in the town. But these were benevolent spirits, only minding their own business. There was no strife caused by them.

Well, almost none...

* * *

"Hidden Missiles!" Dr. Doom cried as he summed several small projectiles from under the ground. But X-23 was too fast to be hit, and moments later she was on Doom's neck, slicing through the evil dictator.

"KO!" the announcer said, the words flashing on the screen. "You win!"

"Hey, no fair!" Youngblood snapped, throwing his controller down in frustration. "That is such a cheap move!"

"I wouldn't be talking if I was you," Danielle snapped. "You keep spamming those long range attacks the entire match."

"That's different!" he snapped.

The young clone arched an eyebrow. "How?"

"It...just is!" Youngblood answered. "Parrot, help me out here!"

"Whatever it is, you're wrong, the girl's right," the skeletal bird replied, not bothering to look up from the book he had resting in front of him.

Youngblood gave a groan of frustration. "Why do you always take her side?" he demanded.

"Maybe because my parents are letting him and you live here rent free," Danielle responded, taking a sip of her soda.

"It's not like that and you know it," the other boy shot back. "We're only here because we fight on your brother's team."

"And how long is that going to last?" Danielle laughed. "What makes you think he'll keep you on?"

Suddenly, Youngblood put on a sinister smile. "Because you begged and pleaded with him to let me stay on, Ms. Puppy Dog Eyes."

The female halfa nearly spit her drink out, her face turning red with embarrassment. "W-who told you that?"

"Jazz might have mentioned something in one of our sessions," Youngblood said smugly, almost ecstatic to see his friend on the losing side of one of their arguments.

Danielle's only response was to grab her controller and begin to set up the next match. "Come on, I want to kick your butt again."

"Nah, I'm bored with this," the pirate ghost dismissed, grabbing the TV remote from off Danielle's bed and changing the channel. "Let's see what's on TV."

The first channel that came up was playing a nautical tune. "Man, is this show ever not on?" the pirate complained, changing the channel again.

On screen was a reporter standing in front of a gaming store. "And we're a mere eight hours away from the midnight release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which will feature twelve new characters and some rebalancing that will make the game play the way it was always supposed to. Already excited fans are lining up to receive their copy."

Indeed, the camera showed several people camped out, all in the name of receiving the latest version of their favorite fighter.

The two small ghost children blinked at the news announcement. Then Youngblood reached over to the Xbox and ejected the game disc.

"Then why are we playing this dumb non-ultimate version?" he scoffed, snapping the disc in half.

"You know, we could have traded that in to get a discount," Danielle deadpanned.

"Come on, let's get going. We can still get an early spot in line," he ignored her, standing up and scooping up Parrot and placing him on his shoulder.

"Wait, who says I want to wait in line for some blatant money-making scheme?" his companion protested, even as she rose to her feet.

"Come on, it'll be like a camping trip."

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "nothing says roughing it like concrete and a Nasty Burger right around the corner."

* * *

Meanwhile, across town, Danny and Sam were enjoying some quality alone time, which was something of a rarity these days. They were currently lying on Sam's couch, cuddling against each other as one of Sam's favorite movies played.

"You know, this isn't exactly a normal date movie," Danny noted as the Repo Man sang about cutting up his latest victim.

"You know, I'm not exactly a normal girl," Sam said right back, cuddling into her boyfriend.

"I know," he said, kissing the back of her head, "that's what I like about you."

"Still with the corny lines," Sam muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Don't pretend you don't like them," Danny said with a sly smile, nibbling Sam's ear.

Sam shivered from the contact. "Well, honestly, I'm glad to hear anything romantic from you at all. It's not often we're alone anymore."

Danny merely nodded. In the three months since Vlad's defeat, his house had gotten crowded. The next door neighbors, already sick of all the snooping fans and constant comings and goings from various ghosts and government agents, finally drew the line when Vlad had attacked their home and destroyed the Op Center. They had moved even before they had sold their houses, leaving them free to be purchased by the government. They were then given right to the Fenton family, who proceeded to merge the houses together into one large base. Thanks to help from the Ghost Zone, it only took a month to complete, and FentonWorks now took up an entire corner of a street.

With the extra room came extra guests. Youngblood moved out of the foster home he had been assigned to and into the home of someone he had previously called his enemy. Ember never moved out of the Fenton home, having little place to go, and simply earned her keep by fighting on Team Phantom.

And, of course, there were always guests. DGA agents, top scientists meeting with Jack and Maddie to discuss further advancements in ghost hunting technology, top psychiatrists to tutor Jazz in her research, politicians, both human and ghost, discussing some policies, regular ghosts registering their presence with Danny, who was in charge of keeping an eye on them, and other members of Team Phantom, checking in and reporting for duty.

So, needless to say, FentonWorks was no place for two young lovers to be alone; which is why they were at Sam's mansion, enjoying a little alone time.

"Still, maybe for once we'll get through a movie without any interruptions."

At that very moment Danny's cell phone rang, and Sam only hung her head. "I should have kept my mouth shut," she sighed as she sat up, allowing Danny to pull out his phone.

"It's Kaufman," Danny sighed, answering the phone. "This is Danny," he said, switching to a professional tone.

"Danny, I'm just giving you a heads up," Kaufman's voice spoke through the phone. "Last night there was a jailbreak at the federal prison. The Blasters, and Operatives O and K...they've escaped."

Danny blinked. "What? How?"

"Some very well-funded supporters," the agent sighed. "We think this might be the Order for Ghostly Suppression."

"Really? They've been pretty legal up until now," Danny noted.

"True, but I felt something like this was inevitable from them. They knew enough to knock out all the guards and open their cell doors without freeing anyone else. Whoever did this was good."

"Well, if this happened last night, why am I just finding out about it now?"

"That's the scary part," Kaufman admitted, "they also knew enough to disable all communication to and from the prison. That slowed down us finding out, for one. Secondly, until we found out about the nature of the escape we figured it wouldn't be a problem for you. I mean, they are convicted felons, it's not like they can get their hands on an ectogun these days."

Danny sighed. "Do you have any leads?"

"We're questioning some high-profile OGS members, but I don't know how far that'll get us. We'll keep you updated on this."

"Let me know the moment you have any leads," he said. "Did you call FentonWorks and notify my parents on this?'

"It's being taken care of," the agent assured. "I wouldn't worry too much just yet. These guys just escaped, it would be foolish of them to make a move this soon."

"I hope you're right," the teen sighed. "Well, I'm on a date, so if there's nothing else..."

"No, that's it. I'll leave you and Sam alone. See ya."

Danny closed the phone and turned to Sam, her expression made it clear she had heard Kaufman. "You seem pretty calm about this," she noted.

"After facing Pariah, Undergrowth, and Vlad with the Crown, a bunch of idiots with a grudge doesn't exactly phase me," he admitted, lying back down and pulling Sam back on top of him.

Even as she cuddled up next to him, she continued to voice her concern. "Still, you're not letting your guard down, are you? I mean, it did take you, Valerie, and Danielle to take them down last time. And who knows what kind of upgrades they'll get..."

"There's not much we can do right now," Danny admitted. "At least, nothing the DGA isn't already doing. You know, unlike the Guys in White, these guys actually know what they're doing. I trust them to get it done."

Sam sighed. "I guess you're right...I hope you're right."

* * *

On the outskirts of Amity Park sat a prison. Not the same prison that the disgraced ghost hunters were formally locked in; a brand new one, built in the wake of the Disasteroid incident. While most of the effort toward the integration plan had been on the positive aspects, there was no denying that a normal cell couldn't hold a ghostly prisoner. That's where this facility came in.

Inside the facility there were cells and walls that were specifically built not to be phased through, as well as a Ghost Shield that surrounded the building, ensuring that no inmate could escape during recreation. These were just added protection, because every inmate was fitted with a special collar that disabled all of their powers. When it opened, Tucker had boasted that it was inescapable, and the public believed it.

In the prison's cafeteria sat Skulker, formally the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone, or so he called himself. He still wore his ectoskeleton, if only because it was easier to keep track of than his true form. Sitting at the same table were his former partners, Technus and Walker. The warden's right-hand, Bullet, was with them as well, all of them wearing an orange prison jumpsuit in place of their usual clothes. They had quickly finished off their meals and were now discussing their favorite topic: how much they hated Danny Phantom.

"I don't believe this," Walker muttered. "Seven months, more than half a year, and we're still trapped in this godforsaken place. I would have thought an opportunity to escape would have presented itself by now."

Skulker just tapped his mechanical fingers on the table, clearly as impatient as his companion was. "We've been analyzing every single aspect of this prison to the best of our abilities, we haven't found any kind of weakness."

Walker merely shook his head. "I suppose we have that fool Plasmius to thank for all this," he grunted. "If it hadn't been for that asteroid, that punk would still be mistrusted by the humans, and his entire rogue's gallery wouldn't be locked in here with us."

Indeed, the other tables were filled with every ghost who still decided it was a good idea to pick a fight with the world's savior. Spectra, Bertrand, Desiree, Hotep-Ra, Lydia, and Nocturne were visible. They also knew the Fright Knight was located somewhere in the building, still sheathed in a pumpkin, and that Vortex and Undergrowth were elsewhere, locked in special cells they were rarely permitted to leave.

"This is just great," Technus sighed, for once not shouting to the heavens. "The ghost child is out there free and not getting killed, while we're stuck here."

"Not to mention we're going to have to clear out a load of two-bit traitors like Ember and that cursed child," Skulker spat.

"Well then, you three better pick up the pace," Walker snapped, addressing the whole table. "It's not like a way out is just going to appear out of nowhere."

At that moment, a large explosion rocked the prison.

* * *

Valerie Grey and Ember McLain flew through the skies of Amity Park on their routine patrol. They were mostly silent, scanning the ground and skies for any suspicious activity.

"Looks like everything's all clear in this area," the Red Hunter mumbled, checking her wrist computers for any ecto-signatures.

"No surprise," Ember muttered. "Ever since that ghost prison's opened up, Phantom's had a better way of dealing with ghosts than throwing them back into the Ghost Zone." She glanced down at the park. "I guess I picked a good time to turn goody-goody."

Valerie scowled at Ember, but she didn't notice, nor would she have particularly cared if she had. "This is the last sector," she said, closing the monitor shut. All that's left now is double checking the prison."

Ember turned toward her comrade, arching an eyebrow. "Isn't that usually the DGA's department?"

"Normally it is, but with the breakout yesterday Mrs. Fenton insisted we double-check everything," she sighed. "Guess I can't blame her."

"Breakout?" the ghost asked.

"That was what that call was about a few minutes ago," she explained. "Some ghost hunters we fought a few months ago have broken out of prison, we don't know how. Someone broke them out, and whoever did it knew what they were doing, too. Knocked out all the guards, electronically unlocked the cells, the works. Mrs. Fenton is a bit on edge, she wants us to scan the ghost prison, just in case."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Why would the people who broke these guys out help ghosts? Sounds like some sort of anti-ghost group to me."

"Yeah, I think it's just your standard overprotective parent instincts. By the way, Youngblood went with Danielle to some midnight release for something."

Ember was surprised once again. "She actually allowed that? Given the circumstances?"

"I guess she figures the hunters won't try anything for a while. Besides, they both went up against Vlad, they can hold off just about anything, at least until we get there. She probably figured you wouldn't mind, since you're pretty lenient as a parent."

Ember somewhat grimaced at the word, but she couldn't deny it. Jack and Maddie had legal custody of Youngblood, but Ember was the one who spent most of the time raising him. The sole reason she didn't do so officially was her past from before the Disasteroid, which prevented her from legally adopting him, at least for the moment.

"Well, let's get this over with, I've got a song to write."

"Relax, I'm sure everything's going to be…"

Valerie trailed off as she noticed the prison in the distance. From their distance, they couldn't see any structural damage to the building, but they did see two things: there was an unusual amount of smoke rising into the air, and that the ghost shield was down.

The pair only slowed for a moment before picking up speed, Valerie summoning her gun blocks and Ember charging up her fire. They didn't speak a word, but both of them knew what the other was thinking, that it was only a false alarm, simply a fire or some other hazard that was already detained.

However, as they neared the facility, their eyes told them the awful truth, there was a large, gaping hole in the side of the prison.

"I'm calling Mrs. Fenton," Valerie informed, even as they charged into the fray. "Whatever this is, it's not good."

* * *

The Repo Man breathed his last breath as Danny's cell phone rang once again. Annoyed but resigned, the couple rose up once more as Danny checked the caller ID. Seeing it was Kaufman again, he answered. "This is Dan-"

"Danny! You've got to get to the ghost prison now! There's a breakout going on, and it's being done by a powerful ghost!"

"What!" Danny exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Do you have any idea who it is?"

"That's just it, Danny," Kaufman's voice came through, and the next words made Danny's blood run cold.

"It's Plasmius. He's back."

* * *

A/N: BTW, the plot with Danni and Youngblood isn't just a random thing. It's going somewhere.


	3. Breakout

A/N: I swear, next chapter faster. Really. Probably

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom copyright Nickelodeon, Federator, and Viacom, created by Butch Hartman.

_Action is eloquence_ – William Shakespeare

* * *

Danielle and Youngblood stood in line in front of their usual game store, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. They both had grown to hate the constant attention they received for being members of Team Phantom, and thus tried to minimize. Thankfully the youngest Fenton wasn't as famous as the rest of her family and thus could easily fly under the radar, while Youngblood opted for a regular t-shirt and blue jeans than his usual pirate garb, topped with a red baseball cap. He was still obviously a ghost, though these days ghosts weren't an uncommon sight in Amity Park.

"I don't see why I had to come," Parrot moaned, stretching his bony wings.

"Because we're physically connected and you have to be within a hundred feet of me at all times," the boy reminded, tipping a bag of candy over his mouth to let the candies fall in.

"That going to be awkward when you hit puberty," the bird muttered.

"Why?"

"Oh nothing," Parrot replied, glancing away.

Danielle was on her portable game system, playing some fantasy game that Youngblood didn't care about. After felling another monster, she looked up at her comrade. "I still say this is a waste of time. We already had this game, shouldn't we be training or something?"

"Yeah, that's your problem. You're talking about training. On a Saturday. During summer vacation. Just relax, would you?"

"I just don't want us to get caught off guard," she sighed, returning to her game.

"Would you relax? Ever since we defeated Vlad, things have been pretty quiet. Sure, Vortex attacked last week, but with him caught every ghost your brother's ever had a problem with are either dead or in jail. I think things are going to be pretty boring around here from now on."

* * *

Miles away, Valerie Grey slammed against the cold metal wall of the Ghost Prison, thankful that her suit had been given the upgrades necessary to prevent any major damage. Wasting no time, she summoned her three gun blocks and fired on her target, one she intended to destroy, one she had hoped she would never have to see again.

Vlad Plasmius summoned a shield that easily blocked the attack, then countered with a beam that struck the girl in the stomach, sending her further back, causing the wall to dent behind her. He likely would have fired again if it hadn't been for Ember hitting him with the most powerful flames she could muster. Unfortunately Vlad had expected her, and had managed to fly straight upward, dragging his former pawn with him. Then, turning for the momentum, he tossed her directly at her comrade, causing the two of them to crash into each other, landing in a heap on the floor.

Emotionlessly, Plasmius powered up both of his hands with ectoblast, preparing to hit the two with everything he had.

Fortunately, at that very moment something happened. One of Vlad's first acts had been to knock out the power generators that made the building phase-proof. It had been to allow him and his men to navigate the building more effectively, but it also meant his enemies could as well. Which is how Danny phased through the floor and let loose a ghostly wail. Caught off-guard by the attack, Vlad was knocked off his feet and sent flying through the air and into another steel wall. The elder half-ghost moaned as he peeled himself off the wall, shaking his head and trying to get his bearings straight. Fortunately, before this could happen, several large vines phased through the wall and wrapped around him, trapping him within their grip. Sam phased through the wall after them, smiling at her accomplishment.

She didn't get to celebrate long. Vlad struggled against his restraints, and despite Sam's best efforts, he broke free soon after, burning through the vines with some difficulty. Almost immediately he grabbed the girl, enclosing his fist over her face, and then pushing it back roughly against the wall. Seeing this, Danny flew toward his old rival at full speed, intending to beat them senseless. This time, however, Vlad saw him coming and responded by twisting his head a full 180 degrees, firing beams of ectoplasmic energy out of his eyes. His aim was true, striking the teenager in the chest and pushing him back with far more force than Danny remembered. He eventually managed to ground himself and began flying toward him again, only be knocked back, this time by his girlfriend, who had been literally thrown straight at him.

The two teenagers quickly rose to their feet, and their mutual relief soon joined by Ember and Valerie. The four members of Team Phantom look at the hated half ghost. "What's wrong, Vlad?" Danny challenged. "No bragging about how much more powerful you are? No clever little threats at me or my father?"

Vlad's response, oddly enough, wasn't a response. His face didn't change from a blank stare. His two glowing red eyes stared at him, bit without any anger, arrogance, or any of the other traits Danny had come to associate with him. They just stared, no expression readable.

After five seconds of no response, the team was beginning to wonder if he had fallen asleep with his eyes open. This thought didn't last long, as in a split second Vlad's arm was pointing forward, firing off a beam of ectoplasmic energy. The group scattered, with Ember dodging forward and striking him with her fist, which was coated in her ghostly flame. She continued with a volley of punches at an impressive speed until Plasmius caught her arm, then twisted it behind her back, causing her to whirl around and scream in pain. He them grabbed the back of her head and rammed her into the steel wall, leaving another dent in the wall. With her dazed, Vlad let her drop to the floor. He then lifted his foot, preparing to stomp down on her.

She was saved at the last moment by Sam, who stealthily wrapped her vines around his other leg, yanking him off his balance and onto the floor, back first. She then flew above them and drove four of her vines, filed into points, at his chest.

Much to her surprise, Vlad leaned to one side, avoiding the attack, then fired an ectoblast directly at her face. His aim was accurate, and she was pushed off of him.

As this was going on, Danny pulled Valerie aside. "How powerful is he? Do you have a readout?"

The Red Hunter paused, glancing at the numbers her helmet's visor was displaying. Not as powerful as when he wore the Crown, but more powerful than before he put it on. We can take him at this level."

"Think just three of us will be enough? One of us should be helping the guards make sure no one else escapes."

Valerie grimaced. She understood the unspoken order there, but she was reluctant. Her grudge against Vlad still continued, and tearing her away from her chance at payback made her unhappy. Still, she couldn't deny the wisdom in Danny's plan.

"Fine. I'll go make sure no one gets out. But give him a few slugs for me."

"Can do," Danny said as his companion flew off. He turned back to the action in time to see his girlfriend get an ectoblast to the face.

Vlad attempted to rise, only to be slammed down by Danny. Not giving his hated rival any chance to react, he struck the ex-billionaire with a flurry of punches. Plasmius was initially stunned, but even through all the pain he was able to get his bearings together and get in a punch of his own.

Danny fell back, his jaw now in pain from where he had been struck. Before he knew what was happening, he suddenly found himself up against the wall, held by his uniform by Plasmius, while his free hand reared back, fingers clenched into a fist.

Danny brought up his arm to block a punch...a punch that never came.

It took him a moment to realize that. He looked at him, involuntarily lowering his arms. For the first time since the fight began, Vlad had a readable expression. It appeared for only a moment, then disappeared so quickly that Danny hadn't been sure it happened at all. It wasn't arrogant supremacy, or violent rage, or a wicked smile.

For a brief second, Vlad Plasmius looked sad. Regretful. Mournful.

And then he actually threw the punch.

Danny hit the ground, his head ringing from the blow he had just taken. He fell to the floor, and was so disoriented that he didn't notice Plasmius raising up his foot to stomp him into the ground.

And then, he hesitated again. And then, he did something Danny did not expect.

He turned around and flew off, so abruptly that had any member of Team Phantom had not been recovering, they probably still wouldn't have followed out of complete bewilderment.

* * *

Valerie rushed into the dining hall to discover that Vlad was not acting alone.

Skeleton Ghosts, the same kind that had served Youngblood and Pariah were present. And they were wearing the most peculiar uniforms.

Some wore the uniforms of British Redcoats and carried what appeared to be old fashioned muskets, straight out of the 1700s. Others wore furs and carried large wooden clubs. Some were covered in medieval armor and carried swords, lances, and maces. Most disturbingly, some wore the uniforms of the SS, carrying ghostly versions of automated weapons.

The guards were doing a fairly successful job of holding them off, but it seemed most of the prisoners had already escaped. Not wasting any time, he flew towards one of the guards, getting a shot off on a knight that tried to take a swing at her.

"What happened to the prisoners?"

"Those ghosts led them outside, into the exercise yard. We tried to stop them, but they were too well organized."

"Hold things off here," she instructed, already turning to the yard, "I'll see if I can stop the escapees." With that, she flew off, leaving the guards to continue the battle.

It didn't take long to reach the outdoors, where a number of very disturbing this filled Valerie's visions. First off were the prisoners, still collared, much to her relief. She also saw several more of the skeleton soldiers, who were herding the prisoners somewhere. That somewhere was a large green portal, one that Valerie concluded must lead to the Ghost Zone.

"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, flying forward with her guns ready, hoping to find some way of shutting it down.

She didn't get the chance. Two skeletons, a caveman and a pirate, leapt onto her and dragged her to the ground. Caught off guard, she couldn't do much more than struggle before she was struck in the stomach by a stone club.

Had she not been wearing body armor, the attack would have been devastating. With its protection, it merely knocked the wind out of her. That attack was followed up by a club to the head, which she felt even through her thick helmet.

Getting her bearings together at last, Valerie managed to roll out from under the pair, but not without feeling a sharp pain across her arm from the pirate's cutlass. Still, in one fluid movement she pulled herself up in a crouching position, pulling out a smaller ecto-pistol and firing two shots at both her opponents. They were weak attacks, but they served their purpose as distractions, allowing her to summon her gun blocks and fire more devastating shots.

Smiling at her accomplishment, she turned back to the portal.

She was promptly greeted by a bullet to the stomach.

A skeleton dressed in an SS uniform lowered his smoking pistol as Valerie fell to the ground, in an intense amount of pain. Wordlessly, he turned back to the portal, where the last of the prisoners was being directed through. No order was given, but one wasn't needed. The skeletons all turned toward the portal themselves, and silently flew through.

Valerie lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Her helmet continued to give her readouts. The bullet had been slowed greatly by the armor. She'd live if she got medical attention soon. Still, the pain was unbearable. She wanted it to end.

Her mind raced. The soldier's gun looked like an average pistol. It should not have been able to pierce her armor so effectively. Her father had double- and triple-checked all of her equipment, making sure it was absolutely safe for the hobby he couldn't talk her daughter out of. He had told her that, theoretically, a bullet should merely knock the wind out of her. How could one hurt her this badly?

Then, suddenly, Vlad was there, standing over her, looking down with the same blank expression.

Instantly she was flooded with anger and fear. Her body moved despite the pain, she needed to get an ectogun out, something she could use against the man who would surely kill her.

And then, Vlad lowered his head and shut his eyes.

Valerie froze.

Then Vlad was gone, flying through the portal after the small army just as Danny, Sam, and Ember made the scene.


End file.
